Animals have been milked by humans since prehistory. The animals in this instance represented a portable and renewable source for human nutrition. For millennia cows and goats have been the primary source for milk which is destined for human consumption. The milk produced by cows and goats is also highly advantageous as a source of food for human consumption, in that this milk can be readily converted to cheese which can be stored for long periods of time.
Because animals represented a significant food source these animals were very valuable property which the humans strived to protect. As humans continued to domesticate animals these animals become more reliant on humans for their protection. In its simplest terms a partnership was formed between the domesticated animals and humans. On the one hand the domesticated animals provided meat and milk for human consumption and in turn the humans provided protection for the domesticated animals. This partnership has served humans well.
In order to provide this protection humans, particularly at night, for thousands of years have confined animals to defined areas. These defined areas are referred to as paddocks. In modern terms these confining areas are referred to as dairy farms, barn yards or feed lots etc. Paddocks and these modem counterparts have one thing in common in that they expose the animals to high concentrations of fecal matter and urine both of which are bacterial laden.
When animals are confined they often lay in the confined areas in such a manner that the underside of the animal is in direct contact with a bacterial laden environment. Further since the udder and teats, here in after the teat area, of the animal is located on the underside of the animal this means that the teat areas of the animal is directly exposed to high concentration of harmful bacteria. As a result of this exposure the milk produced by the domesticated animals is almost always subject to bacterial contamination.
Naturally this bacterial contamination is undesirable in milk which is destined for human consumption. Chloramine T has been used as a biocide for over one hundred years, as a biocide Chloramine T has been used primarily in the purification of water.
Chloramine T is highly soluble in water. When Chloramine T is dissolved in water Cl+ ions are produced which are active against a wide range of bacteria and hence Chloramine T is an effective biocide.
Prior to May 6, 2002 Chloramine T was used on a limited basis to clean the teat areas of cows outside of the United States, but the present invention now provides a new, unobvious mechanism for sanitizing the teat area of a diary animal.